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Physicists Devise Test For Whether the Universe Is a Simulation

Posted by Soulskill on from the computer-end-program dept.

olsmeister writes "Ever wonder if the universe is really a simulation? Well, physicists do too. Recently, a group of physicists have devised a way that could conceivably figure out one way or the other whether that is the case. There is a paper describing their work on arXiv. Some other physicists propose that the universe is actually a giant hologram with all the action actually occurring on a two-dimensional boundary region."

9 of 529 comments (clear)

  1. What if they are right? by drwho · · Score: 4, Funny

    What will we do then? When will Zaphod eat the cake?

    1. Re:What if they are right? by Dyinobal · · Score: 4, Funny

      What do you do with unruly programs? The answer to that question is your answer.

    2. Re:What if they are right? by malacandrian · · Score: 5, Funny

      Declare them too expensive to replace, and build entire corporations that rely on them?

    3. Re:What if they are right? by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 5, Funny

      Declare them too expensive to replace, and build entire corporations that rely on them?

      Oh My God. The Universe is written in COBOL.

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
    4. Re:What if they are right? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Its actually Practical Existence with Recursion Language.
                -- Your God

    5. Re:What if they are right? by Em+Adespoton · · Score: 4, Funny

      Can we just check to see if the virtual machine drivers are already installed in this universe?

      I find that having a good understanding of computers and technology really helps when trying to understanding the universe. There's a lot of comparisons to be made and metaphors to facilitate understanding.

      For instance, say the universe was was a car...

      That's ridiculous... everyone knows the universe is a cdr....

  2. I hate those types of physicists by hack++slash · · Score: 5, Funny

    They never pass the joint around :(

    --
    To do something right, you often have to roll up your sleeves and get busy.
  3. In other news by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    Recently, a group of physicists have devised a way that could conceivably figure out one way or the other whether that is the case.

    In other news, the group of higher-dimensional physicists who are running this universe a simulation figured out a way to falsify the results of the test.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  4. That explains why... by ixtapolapoquetl · · Score: 5, Funny

    When I ran into a wall yesterday, I thought I briefly saw a black wall with yellow lines...